Map/Chart > The Middle States

A plan of the Siege of Savannah

A beautiful and informative map of an important event in the War of Independence

Chart Information

Reference:

A304

Date

1779

Hydrographer/Surveyor/Artist:

John Wilson

Size Of Original:

w 23" x h 30"

Paper Type

Hahnemuhle German Etching 310gsm

Further Information

This print is
available framed. Framed delivery to USA & Canada only.

Chart ID

Size

Dimensions

Print Only

Framed

Notes

A304

Original

w23" X h30"

$169

$389

1.5" frame

Frames
available in either black or brown wood with UV protective acrylic glazing. Please go to the drop down menu to
select your choice.

Read the full Chart History here:

Surveyed by engineer John Wilson, this map shows the southern coast of
South Carolina and
Georgia.It depicts the 'defeat of the French and the Rebels on the 9th October 1779 by his Majesty's Forces under the Command of Major General Augustin Prevost'.

Georgia was significantly different from other colonies in that it did not have the political infrastructure that had developed over the last century in
Virginia.For example.Georgia had the smallest population of the 13 colonies and did not require the overhead of local governments.Parishes were formed between 1757 and 1765 but these were not administrative bodies as today's counties are - they were more a part of the religious and military organization.It is worth noting that the main part of the map shows the boundaries between the Parishes, and it also depicts in detail the coastal features including inlets, rivers, marsh land, sand banks and the borders of the Indian territories which were significant at the time.The map also marks and names Forts and settlements up and down the coast.

By the time this map was drawn the British had already decided that by occupying key towns such as
Savannah in
Georgia and
Charleston in
South Carolina, and by mobilizing and arming the loyalist population, including the slaves, they might achieve the following:

They may be able to split the 'middle' states from the other more northerly states and retain them as part of the
British Empire.

The more loyalists that could be assimilated into the army, the more British troops could be concentrated elsewhere;

They might yet retain financial control - apart from anything else these ‘middle’states produced the commodities upon which the economics of Empire was built - tobacco, rice, indigo and so on;

They may yet link these states along with their holdings in east
Florida, the
Bahamas and Bermuda as a new colonial grouping to compensate for the loss of the
New England states.

Having taken
Savannah on December 29th 1778 with 2,500 troops under Lt. Col. Archibald Campbell as the opening operation in their new 'Southern Strategy', the British set about taking control of
Georgia with the help of locally enlisted Loyalist support.The importance of a town such as
Savannah was such that it became a priority for the Americans to retake the coastal
Georgia port.The recent emergence of the French as an ally was central to this operation.Admiral Valerie D'estaing, still unhappy at his recent failure in
Rhode Island against the British, was sent to provide naval support in a combined blockade and attack, alongside the Americans.On his arrival he crucially delayed launching an attack on the under-prepared British who were holding the town of
Savannah.By the time the Americans, under the command of Major General Benjamin Lincoln, had positioned thier troops and agreed the plan with the French commanders, it was the 23rd September, and the British had finished reinforcing the town defences and had called for support from Loyalists in South Carolina.By the 4th October it was clear that the British were not going to surrender and the American and French allies began their attack across a broad front on the 9th October.They were repulsed and
Savannah remained under British control until July 1782.